Chapter 3

The girl, whose name he didn't yet know, tried to stand back up, but her swollen ankle obviously wasn't fit to walk on and she yelped before collapsing back into the chair, glaring at him as if he was the cause of her injury.

"Careful Baby." Alpha Luca West reached for her, trying to support her injured ankle, and hoping he could convince her to hold still so she wouldn't injure herself further. His bright green eyes beamed as he took in the figure of his gorgeous newly discovered mate, even as she moved about, clearly overwhelmed, he thought, by everything that had just happened.

Over the previous thirty years of his life he'd imagined what his mate might look like, but she was a hundred times more perfect than anything his mind could conjure. She smelled of lavender and lemon, and he wanted to gather her in his arms and carry her out to the car and drive straight back to his pack line, forgetting any and all of the business that had sent him out into the world at the beginning of the month.

Every other Alpha he had business with would understand, and there was little that couldn't be dealt with in the coming weeks, once he had her marked, mated, and through her first heat, and safely back on his pack lands.

He felt himself grow hard just thinking of all the things he wanted to do with her once he got her alone and away from this crowd of onlookers.

She was being more difficult than he had expected. Somehow he had pictured his mate cuddled up to his side by now, in awe of him, his body, his title, and the size of his pack. The beauty before him was not reacting at all like he had expected.

Maybe he had frightened her when he'd growled at Alpha Vos? He'd just been so startled when he'd caught her scent and seen a glimpse of her ahead of her pack's Alpha and Beta. And then, Lyra kept hanging on him as he tried to pull away and he'd lost it for a moment. He'd needed to get to her then and there.

"Baby, I'm sorry if I scared you earlier. But I promise I will never do anything to hurt you. And I will never let anyone else hurt you either."

He felt someone crouch down beside him and he held in a growl. He didn't want to scare his little mate further. Glancing over he was glad that he did when he saw that it was the other pack's Luna, Emery. Even he had to admit that she was an exceptionally sweet woman.

"Dani, the pack doctor is on her way right now to take a look at your ankle. Are you doing okay Sweetie."

Dani. That was his mates name. He wondered what it was short for. Danielle? Daniella?

"Alpha West, could you give us a tiny bit of space. I think Dani is really stressed right now." Luna Emery could make the most unpalatable request sound like she'd coated it in honey and served it up for dessert, which was the only reason Luca didn't growl at her when she suggested he move away from his mate. "She's my mate, Emery."

"I know she is Luca. But the poor thing is overwhelmed and nervous and in pain. Look at her face. She looks like she's about to pass out."

"I do not need a mate." Dani barely managed to say the words, and Luca wasn't entirely sure that he had heard them. "I need to get out of here."

"What did she say?" His voice was harsh and closer to a growl this time.

"Nothing Sweetie." Emery replied loudly with a smile. "And look. Here comes Doc Evans. Thanks goodness. Doc, I think Dani broke her ankle on us here wearing those ridiculous stilettos that Frank makes the girls wear, when her mate here startled her a bit. We need you to patch her up good as new and maybe give her a little something for the pain."

Emery rose, looping her arm through Alpha West's and practically dragging him towards her husband.

"Now you can see that our doctor is a woman and she is one of the best, on this side of the country. She will make sure that Dani is fine. And while she is doing that why don't you have a seat right here by the fireplace and I will go and get some drinks for our table since we have lost our waitress for the night."

The smiling Luna glanced passed back at Dani worriedly, not feeling nearly as confident as she appeared. She wished that she could give the girl an opportunity to run, but with that ankle she didn't think Dani stood much of a chance. Out of all the Alpha's she knew, she had never been that fond of Luca West. He was too blood thirsty and fond of war for her taste. And she'd heard that he ruled his pack with an iron fist.

"And why don't you make yourself useful Alpha and use your Alpha command and the pack mind link to get us at least a half dozen waitresses down here. I'm sure they can't all really be that busy. Poor Dani. She never should have been running this place on her own." She said the words in a teasing tone that had Alpha Vos smiling adoringly back at her as she headed across the long room back towards the bar.

"I need you to help me get out of here." Dani fixed Doctor Scarlett Evans with an intense gaze as she carefully splinted her ankle, sending the words through the pack mind link to the doctor.

"Girl, on this ankle you aren't going anywhere without a pair of crutches or a wheel chair. Or in the arms of that young alpha there." Doctor Evans frowned as she said the words softly, reaching for the bag that she had brought with her and looking for the pills that she was going to give Dani that would at least lessen the pain while her wolf began to speed along the healing process. She wasn't quite sure why it hadn't begun already. The break felt straight enough. Dani should have already healed quite a bit more than she had.

"When you get back to his pack you should have x-rays done. And have a complete physical with blood work."

"How long until I can run?" The Doctor saw the desperation in her eyes and turned, looking back at Alpha West before meeting the girl's eyes for a second time.

"If your wolf does her job and you heal on schedule it ought to be as good as new by morning." She paused and shook her head ever so slightly, her next words coming over the mind link, "I wish you luck if you're going to try to outrun that young man, but even with your leg healed I think your going to have one Hell of a time of it."

Dani raised her eyebrows and shrugged. "I'll need those crutches tonight. I need to go take care of my Momma after this. She's probably already worried sick about where I am. I should have been home an hour ago."

"I can look in on her Dani. I'll go right now." Doctor Evans reached for her hand reassuringly, but Dani pulled away. She didn't see Alpha West turn his head and listen to every word that they were saying from his place next to Alpha Vos, far more interested in his new mate than in the interpack politics being discussed at his table.

"No. Thank you. But I can take care of her." Dani shook her head.

"Dani, when you leave..." Doctor Evans voice trailed off.

"I'm not leaving my Mom. It's not an option. She wouldn't survive a week without me."